PM used us as cannon fodder in sleaze row, say backbenchers

CONSERVATIVE MPS yesterday accused Boris Johnson of turning them into “cannon fodder” during the row over sleaze in Westminster, as his personal poll ratings tumbled to a record low since he entered Downing Street.

Despite the insistence of a Cabinet minister that the Owen Paterson affair is a “storm in a teacup”, Downing Street is braced for another major debate on standards in the Commons today.

Two Tory select committee chairs yesterday accused the Prime Minister of abandoning his “troops” on the back benches, after they voted for a motion to reform Parliament’s standards watchdog and review claims that Mr Paterson had unduly lobbied the Government, only for No 10 to backtrack the next day.

Mr Johnson’s personal poll rating fell to its lowest level since he took office following Mr Paterson’s resignation on Thursday, while the Tories’ lead over Labour has narrowed to just one point.

Labour yesterday called for Jacob Rees-mogg, the Commons Leader, to resign, while Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Johnson was “up to his neck” in a sleaze row that has “trashed” the name of British democracy.

Robert Halfon and Tobias Ellwood, the Tory chairs of the education and defence select committees, called for “dramatic changes” from No 10 to rescue the reputation of their party.

“Troops cannot be sent into battle again without shoes or armour,” Mr Halfon told Times Radio. “We can’t just be cannon fodder again”

Mr Ellwood called for Mr Johnson to find his “moral compass” and avoid a “pattern of behaviour” that would destroy his legacy, while the Major-era Cabinet minister David Mellor said the Government was a “shambles”.

MPS are angry they were forced to vote for the standards reform motion on a three-line whip, leading to abuse on social media, when reform of the system was later abandoned.

The motion on Wednesday would have seen a Tory-led committee propose a new appeals process for MPS accused of impropriety by the Commons standards watchdog, and review the evidence against Mr Paterson for his alleged breaches of lobbying rules.

A leaked message from Philip Davies, the MP for Shipley, to the Conservative whips’ office said: “[I] voted yesterday [to] support the party in a tough situation and get abuse from my constituents for it, to then find the party overturns the decision and makes me look a fool.”

“To say I am livid would be the world’s biggest understatement.”